St Kilda Swim

The St Kilda Swim Team has been crowned ‘Team of the Year’ at the National Adventure Awards ceremony, held in the Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow, last night (Wednesday, March 16th).

Swim Team captain Colin S Macleod and Swimmer John Dyer attended the awards ceremony and were delighted to be presented with the ‘Team of the Year’ award.

The National Adventure Awards celebrate the very best of adventure across England, Wales and Scotland.

And the St Kilda Team were one of seven adventure groups shortlisted in the Team of the Year category – including a team of British paraclimbers who tackled the Eiger and a father and son team who canoed the rivers of the Yukon.

The St Kilda Swim Team made history last year when the seven swimmers, swimming in relay formation, successfully completed a 60mile route through the North Atlantic from St Kilda to the Isle of Harris.

Accompanied by three support kayakers and support vessel MV Cuma from Island Cruising, the swim team left the Kildan island of Hirta at 4am on Monday, August 17th, 2015 and landed on Hushinish slipway just after 3pm on Tuesday, August 18th – taking only 35 hours to finish a swim that had been postponed three times from May to July last year due to bad weather.

During the challenge, the team were joined by a large pod of dolphins, and swimmer John Dyer encountered a 25ft Minkie whale.

The feat was completed to raise funds for four charities – and donations of £5,772 were presented to the Fishermen’s Mission; a total of £5,621 to The Leanne Fund; Yorkhill Children’s Charity was presented with £7,568; and £2,544 donated to the Aberlour Child Care Trust.